William Shakespeare (Joseph Fiennes) is on a cold streak. Not only is he writing for Philip Henslowe (Geoffrey Rush), owner of "The Rose," a theatre whose doors are about to be closed by sadistic creditors, but he's got a nasty case of writer's block. Shakespeare hasn't written a hit in years. In fact, he hasn't written much of anything recently. Thus, the Bard finds himself in quite a bind when Henslowe, desperate to stave off another round of hot-coals-to-feet application, stakes The Rose's solvency on Shakespeare's new comedy, "Romeo and Ethel, the Pirate's Daughter." The problem is, "Romeo" is safely "locked away" in Shakespeare's head, which is to say that not a word of it is written. Meanwhile, the lovely Lady Viola (Gwyneth Paltrow) is an ardent theatre-goer -- scandalous for a woman of her breeding -- who especially admires Shakespeare's plays and, not incidentally, Bill himself. Alas, she's about to be sold as property into a loveless marriage by her mercenary father and shipped off to a Virginia tobacco plantation. But not before dressing up as a young man and winning the part of Romeo in the embryonic play. Shakespeare soon discovers the deception and goes along with it, using the blossoming love affair to ignite his muse. As William and Viola's romance grows in intensity and spirals towards its inevitable culmination, so, too, does the farcical comedy about Romeo and pirates transform into the timeless tragedy that is Romeo and Juliet. Merle Bertrand, Rovi
- Genre: Comedy Drama
- Category Romantic Comedy, Showbiz Comedy, Period Film
- Theme: Writer's Life, Actor's Life, Assumed Identities, Creative Block, Gender-Bending
- Studio: Fox Home Ent. (lgf)
- Run Time: 02 hr 02 min
- Language: English
- Subtitle Language: English, Spanish
- Picture Format: widescreen
- Format: Blu-ray
- Release Date: January 31, 2012
- Lead Actor: Joseph Fiennes, Gwyneth Paltrow, Geoffrey Rush, Judi Dench
- Supporting Actor: Simon Callow, Colin Firth, Imelda Staunton, Ben Affleck, Tom Wilkinson, Jim Carter, Martin Clunes, Rupert Everett
- Director: John Madden
awards
- Awards: Academy Awards (7), Golden Globe Awards (2)
- Winner: Academy Awards, Best Art Direction, 1998, Martin Childs, Jill Quertier
- Winner: Academy Awards, Best Original Screenplay, 1998, Marc Norman, Tom Stoppard
- Winner: Golden Globe Awards, Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Pictur, 1998, Gwyneth Paltrow
- Winner: Academy Awards, Best Picture, 1998, Harvey Weinstein, Edward Zwick, David Parfitt
- Winner: Academy Awards, Best Actress, 1998, Gwyneth Paltrow
- Winner: Academy Awards, Best Supporting Actress, 1998, Judi Dench
- Winner: Academy Awards, Best Costume Design, 1998, Sandy Powell
- Winner: Academy Awards, Best Musical or Comedy Score, 1998, Stephen Warbeck
- Winner: Golden Globe Awards, Best Screenplay, 1998, Marc Norman, Tom Stoppard
- Nominations: Academy Awards (6)
- Nominee: Academy Awards, Best Sound, 1998, Peter Glossop, Robin O'Donoghue, Dominic Lester
- Nominee: Academy Awards, Best Cinematography, 1998, Richard Greatrex
- Nominee: Academy Awards, Best Editing, 1998, David Gamble
- Nominee: Academy Awards, Best Makeup, 1998, Lisa Westcott, Veronica Brebner
- Nominee: Academy Awards, Best Supporting Actor, 1998, Geoffrey Rush
- Nominee: Academy Awards, Best Director, 1998, John Madden
